The Remaining, by D.J. Molles

When I started reading this book I was amazed of how well the author could capture the moments of solitude, and the feelings and emotions that accompany uncertainty. The main character's psychology, Lee, is also very well developed, of how he suffers loneliness and slowly realizes he might go crazy being trapped in a subterranean fort. When shit hits the fan the book takes on a very fast pace. The fast pace is very well balanced with persistent moments of introspection, where the main character is always weighing out the possibilities, the end result of his endeavors, and the possible changes his friends and survivors might have after being exposed to the horror they are facing. The action is very well described and you can clearly imagine every scene with the gory, gruesome violence displayed. Unlike other apocalyptic books involving the dead coming back to life, this book eludes death as the cause of disaster and blames a bacteria, FURY, which infects the brain and drives the host primal and very, very aggressive. Loss of bowel, sphincter, thought, and pretty much every single function in the body renders the infected fearsome, nasty, and very contaminating. Another interesting fact about the infected is their behavior as hunters (something you'll have to find out by yourself!), something that freaked me out from time to time. I literally had to put the Kindle down, cast a glance sideways, just to make sure I was still in my own comfortable non-apocalyptic world. 

By 3/4 of the book, the breathtaking ability of the author to capture moments is diluted in the action, since it's so fast paced, you lose grip on that initial amazing feel of the moment being scrutinized. It ends with drama and you are intensely lured to keep on reading the next book of the series.

One thing I really enjoyed about this read was how the author explained the usage and the properties of weapons. It's always nice to learn something new. When authors manage to teach you about any craft through their main character, staying focused in the action and well embedded into the plot, it makes the book much more memorable. Five stars for D.J. Molles. 

Book Review: Prophets of the Ghost Ants, by Clark Thomas Carlton

And so a hero was born: Anand, the tamer of wasps.

I really enjoyed this read and recommend it to everyone looking for a solid, hard-core story containing the superb quality of a scifi/fantasy epic novel. The book stands out alone with its powerful character development--perhaps its most prosperous trait--.

From beginning to end, the story weaves its reader skillfully, leaving no gaps and no doubts, warping you instantly towards a distant, remote future, where humans have evolved and our world, our ways, and our culture has changed dramatically. Ants have become powerful allies and kingdoms flourish once again. If character development does not lure you in, then perhaps the amazing adventure does.

Epic battles and monumental wars are waged, kings and queens are killed, armies of both humans and insects rush into holy battle to promote or disprove religious beliefs; battles which resemble our modern 'civilized' problems. If not strictly fantasy, this book offers sci-fi and fantasy lovers a great opportunity to travel to a bizarre yet plausible word, full of action, adventure, mystery, love, sacrifices, and an implacable journey of self-realization, upon which a hero is born.

Horizons

I felt sad because I knew I couldn't hold the ocean's beauty for long enough, nor the sun and the salty wind; and yet, I was happy because I knew I took part of the ocean with me, and the remembrance of the ages with the salt impregnated onto my skin. This is how I felt as the sun was setting, dipping into the ocean, slowly moaning in silence, as the salt and wind eclipsed it, and silence broke free with the night's veil of shadows.

Despondency: The Story of a Defeated Man. Kindle Edition.

Introducing a new novel,

Despondency: The Story of a Defeated Man

by Paul A. Wunderlich, edited by Zach Hunt.

This is the story of a man who has been in an eternal struggle, using eternal lightly, since he is only 59 years old. In spite of his age, he is very unhappy, since happiness is merely a concept he has never felt or understood.

This story takes place in the lovely colonial city of Antigua, Guatemala. It has many fiction elements, like Mayans and vivid dreams, and also contains philosophical passages, some like Herman Hesse´s creations (i.e. Siddhartha). If you like action and adventure with a good-feel and a deep meaning, then this is an eBook you may find enjoyable.

The book description is the following:


Trister Trännerman travels the world in search of happiness but found nothing but regret as the unforgiving shadow of his past relentlessly haunted him. He ends up in Antigua, Guatemala, where he finally decides to settle for good in an attempt to evade his demise. 

As he seeks to dismantle his misery, he dreams about a Mayan Warrior who stabs him to death, and he sees a woman whom he barely knows. Upon waking, Trister seeks her counsel in order to understand why she, of all people, appeared in his dream. He wrestles with self-doubt as she taps into the ruins of his shattered soul where she comprehends that he has been mangled by more than merely self-rejection. He fears he will never find happiness and will die as a nomad, ever wandering the world in search of something he can hardly define.

Check it out by clicking on this link.

Book Review: The Hot Zone, by Richard Preston

Even more terrifying than a zombie book.

The Hot Zone is not a zombie book and yet, it feels much more terrifying than one, because it describes a very virulent disease that can potentially wipe out up to 90% of the world's population. 

I really enjoyed how the author starts off this book, because it gives you, right from the start, a small dose of what lays ahead of you. After the first part of the book, you're holding on to your seat as you turn the pages, waiting for disaster or for some virulent disease to infect any of the characters and kill them in a very gruesome way.

The truth about Ebola is that the disease is horrible. Nature produced a life-form capable of liquefying tissues and bringing a most horrible death to its victims. 

So why is this book more terrifying than a zombie book? Because it's real. Zombies are flesh eating humans gone wrong by some infectious agent or maleficent curse that got a hold of their  bodies. Ebola is a potential threat for humanity. The virus is literally so 'virulent', that it could enter the world-net in days and kill millions. There is no cure.

The book is told in a series of parts, which I found very entertaining. Perhaps the last part was one of my favorite ones, because the author takes you, personally, to Mount Elgon, where the virus took its first victim. The author suits up and dives into the cave of mysterious wonders, where no one knows where the virus lurks, waiting to take on its next victim. 

This was an awesome read.

Philosophical time-warp.

Time as an element of mystery has always eluded man. It's neither palpable nor conceivable, but still it can be --perceived-- as it flows, like a river, through us and beside us, always carrying our luggage from the past, present, and future, in a single slithering thread. If we could navigate the river of time on a canoe, perhaps we could see ourselves reflected in its uncertain waters. I wonder, what would we think as we see ourselves from another dimension...?

Read it in reddit.

The Bleeding Sun

Outside the bleeding sun is failing, as the copper-tinged sun-rays invite the gloom. Behind the blue, blue mountains the celestial-orb finds its cradle, and slowly, deeply, moans as it's swiftly consumed by the shadows.

Read it in reddit.